Allure's April 2017 Issue Features a Model's Unretouched Stretch Marks

Allure’s April issue celebrates the beauty of diversity. And, whether or not you are reading the headlines, the publication’s gorgeous cover photo speaks louder than words ever could. Three fresh-faced women of color stare exquisitely into the camera, representing the diversity that the fashion industry has been criticized for lacking. While 41 women of color are included in the inside pages, it is models Dilone, Imaan Hammam, and Aamito Lagum who are the faces of the issue.

Editor-in-Chief Michelle Lee spoke on Facebook Live on Tuesday morning about the issue, which hit newsstands today. Opening up the cover spread, the three ladies stand tall in swimsuits in a photo just as impactful as the cover. The image reveals model Imaan Hammam's stretch marks, and Lee told Facebook viewers that the lack of retouching is intentional. "She has a little bit of stretch marks right here. And I love love love that we’re showing that. We’re not pointing it out in the issue (even though I’m pointing it out) but I think that — to me — that is real beauty. We’re all real. We’re not re-touching the hell out of everyone so everybody looks fake.”

Patrick Demarchelier for Allure Magazine

While this issue comes on the heels of a marginally more diverse runway season (both in terms of body type as well as skin color), there is something just so striking about this Allure cover that makes you truly stop in your tracks at a newsstand. Which is, of course, somewhat of a rarity in the oversaturated market that we currently live in.

The issue includes quotes and stories from actresses, models, activists, and more, in addition to the three models whose faces grace the cover. You can pick up an issue of Allure on newsstands now to read these empowering words.